Sacred Trust

Tues. Night - I have just returned to my room from the first evening session of the Elim Leadership Conference in Lima, NY. I will write the post this evening, while all is fresh in me, and then post it in the morning at a reasonable hour.

Bro. Paul Johansson, a former president of Elim Bible Institute, founder of New York School of Urban Ministry in Queens, addressed the 700-800 attendees relating lovingly and forcefully the heritage and thinking of Elim Fellowship. It was moving and revealing as he shared all the various Holy Spirit movements beginning with Azusa Street and following through modern times to the "3rd Wave" movement that included Toronto and Pensacola. I will try to relate accurately his main points for you. What you will mainly read below are the points that were of interest to me. It was a wonderful, anchoring sermon that was laced with the main phrase, "We have been given a sacred trust." Much of what follows should be in quotes, his and others, but permit me if you will to just relay as much as I could type as I listened. (Yes, I did take my MacAir and typed away - I do have marvelous notes but all of them would make this post much too long). 

There has been given to us, passed on to us, a sacred trust. Elim functions best where there is a need and a need for life. 

We have been commanded to teach, preach, and to disciple.To Preach you have to open your mouth.To teach you have to open your Bible.To disciple you have to open your life. Jesus told His disciples not to do anything until they received power from on high. We cannot obey and fulfill the command until we have the power. 

I want to share what have I seen in Elim - looking from where Elim has been and how it has functioned and bring it into our period of time. 

We have a sacred trust. What is in the "Elim Box?"

1. Where did it come from? 2. How did it get there? 3. How does that affect us today?

Where did it come from?  It is a unique box - beginning with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 1906. IQ Spencer began the Holy Spirit school teaching holiness,  the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit and a worldwide vision. Elim received this empartation - the ability to receive what the Lord poured out, then worked with it until they understood it Biblically and then continued to maintain it and move in it.

It was a strong current from many streams.

The winds of the Holy Spirit are not to direct us, they are to propel us, we direct them. Don’t take the force of the wind as a direction. Grace does not eliminate the Biblical principles. If you know how to sail, you can sail into the wind. The wind does not have to determine our destination. Causalities happen when we take the wind for direction. 

Bro. Johansson then walked us through the major Holy Spirit movements from 1906 to the present time allowing us to see how Elim had taken the truth of each unfolding and releasing - then staying grounded Biblically, releasing that truth. It was a wonderful understanding and he worked with the idea all the way through of a big river that had grown each time a smaller stream or river joined it. 


His urging was to take all the movements of the Spirit, work with them - never against, and allow ourselves to be molded by the movement through the Scriptures. 

What then is in our box today, that we must maintain?

 *A hunger and an openness to God by prayer and fasting. A real cry of the Holy Spirit for integrity and holiness - “I need you more than yesterday.” Must daily exercise yourself in the presence of God. A seeking of God. 

You can have all the Spirit you want, but if you do not step out, its not worth anything. You must move in faith. Elim has always believed and supported the following things:

 *Prophetic gifts and worship released. It is an abiding anointing on Elim. We must treasure the anointing - its genuine. Elim was noted for singing scripture. 

 * We are people who believe in gifts and ministries and offices. Release them! This is our heritage. 

 *Faith out of sacrifice - integrity and humility. 

* A heart for the whole Body of Christ with a world-wide vision. 

 Elim with its “influence without control” has labored in many nations under a national body as our missionaries have sought to strengthen national movements. Most of our missionaries go out and works with the national churches in the countries. It is not about having Elim or its people in the limelight. It is about using our influence behind the scenes to get the Kingdom work accomplished. 

Today we are weak in the following and these matters deserve our attention and efforts: 
*Intentional ethnic integration
* Faith to produce large churches.
* A strong commitment to plant urban churches
*The ability to raise the finances it will take to change our generation”Isa. 41:14-15 “A worm will thrash a mountain.”

  By faith, we will hold this sacred trust dear and release it to further generations. 

Even though I have known much of this history, it was wonderful to re-visit it. The Lord has truly appointed me to walk with Elim (my ordination is through Elim) as much of my appointment from the Lord is what Elim believes and works toward in the Kingdom. Lord I bless you and thank you.


More tomorrow....